Struggle for Power
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Follows A New Master. Urumasa's chosen Emily as it's new master. How long can she ignore his calls?
1. Headache

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything_

* * *

><p>Mike couldn't believe what he was about to say.<p>

"Guys, can you keep it down?"

Jayden, Mia, Kevin and Antonio were just enjoying themselves now that Urumasa was safe in their hands. They had pulled out a board game to play with their folding Zords. It served two purposes: the first was getting all the Zords to get a little bonding time with each other and the second was just having fun. Now that Antonio was stuck on the final programming of the box, he needed all the symbol powers to work together, and he needed all the folding Zords to work together. What better way to get everyone to bond than by having fun.

The Rangers were making quite a bit of noise, though. With all the laughter, playful name-calling, teasing and cheering, Mike could barely hear himself think when he stood in the common room, and the noise was loud enough to reach his and Emily's room. He didn't mind it at all. He was busy playing video games in the dojo, but he knew Emily wasn't feeling well and she needed to rest.

"Sorry," Antonio laughed. He gave Mike an apologetic look. "It's easy to get a little carried away."

"I know," Mike nodded. He had played the game before, "but Em's still got that headache and…"

"Still?" Mia frowned. "It's been two days. Are you sure it's nothing serious?"

"She says it's not," Mike shrugged. He took a seat with the other Rangers, "She probably just got a cold or something from being in the water. She hasn't been feeling right since."

"Maybe, but…" Mia stopped when she felt her phone vibrating and she excused herself. Not many people knew her number now that she was a Ranger: only the Rangers, her grandmother, and Serena. Usually, the only time her phone rang was when Serena called to check up on the Rangers, but that still wasn't very often. Emily was always Serena's first choice to call.

Mia checked the number before answering her phone with a smile, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Why isn't Emily answering her phone?" Serena asked. "She always answers on the second ring. I've called her three times now."

"Uh," Mia starting making her way over to Mike and Emily's room, "she might be sleeping. She hasn't been feeling well."

"What kind of not well?"

Mia knocked on Emily's door, "Just headaches, trouble sleeping. People get sick from time to time, no need to worry."

"Mia…"

"I'm checking up on her now," Mia assured Serena as she tip-toed over to Emily's bed as the yellow Ranger slept. She placed a hand on Emily's forehead to feel whether Emily was warm or not. To her relief Emily felt normal. "She's fine, Serena."

"Are you sure?"

"We've been having a bit of a rough time lately," Mia said. She wanted to comfort Serena and let her know that Emily was probably just resting after her underwater adventure, but at the same time she didn't want to tell Serena about Urumasa. The sword was safe, but Mia didn't want Serena feeling guilty for throwing it into the ocean for the Rangers to retrieve. The older Samurai had enough on her plate guarding the Tengen Gate. "You know what the Nighlok are like. A little more rest and she'll be fine. I'll have her call you soon."

"Please do," Serena said before hanging up the phone. Mia did the same and glanced one last time at Emily before quietly leaving the room.

Emily slept, seemingly peacefully, for a few moments after Mia left until suddenly she jumped up in bed, breathing heavily. She grabbed her head as Urumasa's voice echoed in her mind.

"I won't do it," she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears as she tried to block out the pain. Urumasa was loud and demanding, but Emily would never give in. Nothing would ever convince her to harm her friends. No matter how much it hurt, she wouldn't give into the sword. "Leave me alone…"

"Okay, but I just thought you would like some soup."

Emily looked at the door when she heard Mike's voice. She wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded as he brought the tray over to her bed. He set it down in front of her and took a seat at the foot of her bed. He saw the tears and frowned, "That headache's pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah… my head."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the doctor or something?" Mike asked. He pointed to the painkillers he had placed on her night table for her, "Maybe we can get you something a little stronger. These don't seem to be working."

"It's fine, I don't need to see a doctor…"

"But your head…"

"I'm fine."

"Em, you don't need to suffer…"

"I'm fine!" Emily shouted as she reached out and shoved Mike right off the bed. He landed on the ground with a thud and looked up at Emily with a mixture of confusion and horror. She wasn't one to lash out in violence, no matter how much pain she was in or how frustrated she was.

Emily was equally horrified. Her hands flew to her mouth and she began to tremble. Mike slowly started to push himself to his feet so he could get back on the bed and comfort Emily, but she didn't want him near her.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered as she bolted from her bed, spilling the soup everywhere on the blankets. Mike called her name, but she didn't stop running.

"_That wasn't so hard,"_ the voice in her head said, _"I bet that felt good. I can make you even stronger. Just do as I say."_

Emily bumped into Jayden in the hallway and he grabbed her arms to steady her before she fell over. He looked down at her with a smile.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"_He's right there! Get him!"_

"No!" Emily shouted. Jayden furrowed his brow.

"Uh, Emily…"

Emily squirmed and pulled away from Jayden. She needed to get away from him before she hurt him like she hurt Mike. With Jayden, Urumasa wasn't going to stop at a simple push.

She slipped past Jayden and ran outside. She didn't want her friends to find her. She didn't want to hurt them. She found her underground fort from a long time ago and jumped down the hole. She placed her hand on the wall, following it as she walked further into her cave and the light faded. When she was far enough in the dark she sunk to the ground, curled up into a ball and cried.

-Samurai-

Mike watched Emily leave with a heavy heart. He wanted to go after her, like always, but decided he would give her a little time to calm down. He lifted the overturned bowl of soup from her bed and placed it back on the tray. He knew the soup would leave a stain if he didn't wash it quickly. He set the tray aside and started collecting her blanket.

Jayden knocked on the door and saw Mike grabbing Emily's blankets. He frowned slightly, wondering what was going on.

"Do you know what's up with Em?" he asked Mike. "I just ran into her in the hallway. She seemed upset."

"I don't know," Mike shrugged his shoulders. "She snapped for a moment with me. Maybe her head hurts more than she's letting on."

"Do you know if she hit it?" Jayden asked. Mike shook his head.

"I asked her when it first started hurting. She said no.

"You believed her?"

"It's Emily," Mike answered. "If she told me the sky was purple I would believe her. Why would she lie?"

"She isn't a very good liar," Jayden nodded. "I guess there would be a mark or a bump anyways."

"I get pretty crabby when I feel like shit," Mike said. "Hopefully that's all it is."

"You say that like there could be something else going on," Jayden pointed out, giving Mike a knowing look. The green Ranger shrugged.

"Emily's a horrible liar, but she's really good at bottling everything up," he answered. "I'll talk to her when she calms down. I'll see if I can get her to tell me what's up."

"And if you can't?"

"I'll send in Mia," Mike chuckled. He looked down at the blanket in his hands, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have laundry to do."


	2. Urumasa's Choice

The laundry was done, the bed was made again and the bowl of soup had been washed and put away. Mike figured that was more than enough time for Emily to calm down so he began his quest to find her.

He checked the dojo. Jayden was training and assured Mike he hadn't seen Emily since she ran off.

He checked the kitchen. Kevin and Mia were baking cookies together and they told him they hadn't seen Emily for hours.

He checked outside. Emily wasn't training and Antonio, who was coming back with his fish cart in tow, said he hadn't seen Emily at all.

He checked the rest of the house and bumped into Mentor Ji. He had also said he hadn't seen Emily.

Mike paced back and forth in the back hallway, tapping his finger to his chin as he tried to think. Emily wasn't inside the house, and she wasn't out in the yard. Mike shook his head. That was impossible. He must have missed her. Even sick and stressed, Emily would never, ever, head out on her own without telling anyone where she was going.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Mike headed into the common room and pulled up the map, hoping he could locate Emily. He found her signal but he was frustrated when it told him she was here on the Shiba grounds. He rolled his eyes, turned off the map, and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Do you need a cookie?" he heard Mia asking him and he looked up to see her holding out a plate of fresh baked cookies. She was smiling at him, completely oblivious to the fact that her little sister was really good at hide-and-seek. "I made them myself."

Mike gave the cookies a sceptical look so Mia slapped him on the back of the head.

"Kevin said they were good. Just try one."

Mike grabbed a cookie. Things couldn't get any worse, and if the cookies were truly good maybe they would cheer him up. He flashed Mia a small smile, letting her know she had done a good job.

"Yay," Mia bounced slightly. "Two for two. I was thinking, seeing as Emily's not the puking kind of sick, maybe this would cheer her up. What do you think?"

"Yeah, go for it," Mike nodded, letting the proud Mia go to his room to offer Emily a cookie. He knew she wouldn't find the yellow Ranger, so he waited for her to come back.

When she did, she didn't look impressed.

"Michael, where's Emily?"

"I didn't do anything," Mike frowned. Mia only used his full name when she wasn't happy with him, letting him believe she thought Emily's absence from her room was his fault. It wasn't; not as far as he knew. Emily had run off on her own. He hadn't said or done anything to upset her.

"What does that mean?" Mia asked. "Where is she?"

"I checked everywhere…"

"Michael…"

Mike pointed to the table where the map had been moments before, "Her Samuraizer says she's still here somewhere. Who knows, maybe she's hiding in a cupboard or a drawer. You know Emily."

Mia crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the ground. Mike knew he wasn't doing much to calm her down.

"Is she hiding in a cupboard or a drawer, Michael?" Mia asked him.

"I… doubt it," Mike lowered his head. "I'll find her, though. She can't be that hard to find, right?"

"She's small, fast and agile," Mia frowned, rolling her eyes, "but no, you're right Mike, we'll find her any minute now."

"No need for sarcasm," Mike said. He pointed down the hallway, "I'll check every inch of the house again. Maybe I just missed an obvious spot."

"I'll check outside," Mia looked to the backdoor. "If she's still on Shiba grounds we should be able to find her."

"If you find her, don't let her out of her sight," Mike told the pink Ranger.

"Oh, is that how this works? I thought I was supposed to let her go again," Mia rolled her eyes and yanked the door open, stepping outside as Scruffy raced outside with her. She ignored the dog, knowing he had been trained not to leave the yard unless he was on a leash. She scanned the yard quickly while muttering to herself, "At least my cookies were good."

She stepped off the front porch to do a walk around the yard. If she didn't find Emily, hopefully she would find a clue or something useful. She was just checking behind the garbage bins when in the corner of her eye she saw Scruffy digging in the dirt.

"Scruffy!" she scolded the dog and he turned to her with a startled look. He stayed like that for a moment before digging in the ground again, this time pressing his nose into the dirt as he did. Mia marched over to him and grabbed his collar. "No digging! You know how Mentor hates it!"

Scruffy whined while trying to escape. Mia sighed and looked down. She saw a hole but made nothing of it. She remembered it was the entrance to Emily's underground fort, the fort she had abandoned after Dekker had made it a temporary home.

"What's up with you?" Mia asked as Scruffy pulled. "It's like you've never heard of a squirrel or rabbit before. Here's a hint: there's plenty more on the surface to scare if that's what you really…"

Mia trailed off when she thought she heard a weird noise coming from down the hole. It sounded like a wounded animal or… could it be sobbing? She looked at Scruffy.

"There is something down there, isn't there?"

Scruffy whined and lowered himself to the ground. He continued to stare at the hole. Now Mia was really tempted to check it out. She told the dog to stay as she carefully lowered herself down.

"Once I'm done this, I'm closing up this stupid fort," she muttered while climbing down slowly. "Sorry, Emily, but this is just a pain in the butt."

Her feet hit the ground and she turned around to face the inside of the very dark cave. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear something, confirming her suspicions that there was something here. She pulled out her Samuraizer and traced the symbol for a flashlight. Within seconds one appeared in her hand and she turned it on. As soon as she did she saw something darting across the stream of light and she nearly jumped out of her skin. If it was just a squirrel or a rabbit, it was huge. Mia felt her heart beating in her chest and she took a few steps back so her back was pressed against the wall of the cave.

She waved her flashlight around trying to see if she could find whatever was hiding in the cave, which was now completely silent. Occasionally she would see something moving, but it was always so fast that it managed to escape the light before Mia could get a good look. Finally she heard something hitting the dirt and a pained whimper. She used the sound to locate whatever it was she was searching for. Her light fell on Emily who was lying face down in the dirt.

"Shut up!" she heard Emily scream and she rushed to the yellow Ranger's side. She placed her hand on Emily's back comfortingly.

"Emily, what are you doing down here?"

"They'll find out! They'll notice and they'll know it was me!"

Mia frowned, "What? Emily, what's going on? What did you do?"

"You can't make me do it!"

Mia was starting to get the idea that Emily wasn't talking to her, but that didn't make sense. Emily wasn't one to talk to herself, especially like this. She set the flashlight down and grabbed Emily gently, lifting her out of the dirt.

"Emily, talk to me," she said. "Look at me and tell me what's going on."

Emily's teary eyes met Mia's and she threw herself into the pink Ranger's arms.

"I have to kill Jayden," Emily whispered in Mia's ear. Mia's eyes widened and she pulled away from Emily.

"What?"

"It'll make the voice stop," Emily said.

"What voice? Emily, it's just you and me down here. You can't possibly be thinking about killing Jayden!"

Mia was sure this was just a dream. Emily talking about killing Jayden? Emily yelling at herself? It didn't make sense.

Suddenly her Samuraizer went off. Mia grabbed it and answered it.

"Go for Mia."

"Have you found her yet?" Mike asked on the other end. Mia looked at Emily and was about to answer yes, but Emily shook her head. Apparently she could hear Mike and for some reason she didn't want to be found.

Mia sighed, "No, not yet. Have you?"

"No, but we have a visitor. Jayden wants us all in the common room A.S.A.P for a meeting."

"I'll be there in two minutes," Mia promised as she hung up and looked at Emily. "You heard him."

"I can't," Emily shook her head and tried to crawl away from Mia. The pink Ranger was quick. She grabbed Emily around the waist and pulled her back in.

"I'm not leaving you alone like this," she said. "We can talk inside, okay. I won't tell anyone what you said to me. We'll get this sorted."

"I don't have a choice! I can't go back there… NO! SHUT UP!"

"Emily…"

"I won't do it!"

"Emily!" Mia grabbed her little sister by the arms and shook her until Emily looked up at her. She stared into the yellow Ranger's eyes and saw fear and hurt. She let out a deep breath, "Okay… look just… don't move. I'll go up there, do the meeting and I'll be back here soon. Just stay here, promise?"

"You can't tell them…"

"I won't say a word," Mia nodded. She gave the yellow Ranger a loving squeeze before making her way back to the tunnel and climbing out. She brushed off the dirt from her clothes so the boys wouldn't get suspicious and headed inside. Her mind was racing because of what Emily had said, and she was worried there was something seriously wrong with her little sister. She wanted to tell the entire team what Emily had told her, knowing they would only want to help, but that wouldn't do any good. Emily wouldn't open up if they all ganged up on her.

As she walked into the common room she saw Dekker was the visitor Mike had referred to on the Samuraizer. She thought this was rather odd but assumed he was here for something important. When she took a seat the meeting started.

"I'm trying my best to change," Dekker started off with that so the Rangers knew he wasn't trying anything sneaky. He was here to help. "I've been tempted many times to do things I know you and Serena would disapprove of, but I haven't done them."

"Good for you," Kevin had a very small smile. He was proud of the warrior, but he knew Dekker still had a long way to go.

"I think of Serena when things are tough," Dekker said. "I always ask myself what she would do in my shoes. It helps. It helps a lot. Especially when Urumasa was calling for me."

"You don't have to worry about Urumasa anymore," Jayden told him. "We got the sword from the ocean. It's here, with us, safe and sound."

"Are you sure?" Dekker asked with slight confusion on his face. "Safe and sound?"

"Uh, yeah," Jayden nodded. "It's locked away. It's completely secured. No one will ever get their hands on Urumasa again."

"Someone has," Dekker said with certainty. The Rangers all looked at him, mouths open, eyes wide and frozen in shock. Then the questions started.

"Who?"

"How is that possible?"

"There's no way that's true!"

"How do you know?"

"Are you sure?"

"Urumasa spoke to me," Dekker said. "He spoke all the time, telling me what I needed to do, leading me to the places I needed to be… even after Serena tossed him into the water, he continued to call me… until recently."

"Maybe it's given up," Mike shrugged. "Maybe…"

"Urumasa has been searching for centuries for a worthy opponent so he could spill his blood. He wouldn't give up, especially after so little time. There's only one reason he would silence himself. He has found a new master."

"Someone else to talk to?" Mia asked, a lump forming in her throat. Dekker nodded his head.

"I would assume so," he said. "I craved a challenge, Urumasa craved blood. Because the red Ranger is still alive, I can only guess Urumasa hasn't ended his quest for a worthy opponent's blood."

"But we're safe, right?" Antonio asked, turning to Jayden and the rest of the Rangers. "It doesn't matter who Urumasa chose to be its new Master because we have it here and none of us are going to set it free or give it up."

"No way," Mike shook his head. "You, Kevin and Emily almost died so we could keep it safe. We're not just going to hand it over so someone else can kill Jayden."

"The new master," Mia shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she spoke to Dekker, "it would have to be someone really powerful, right? Urumasa wouldn't settle for some… let's say middle of the road fighter, right? It would choose someone big and strong and fierce."

"I don't remember how I wound up with Urumasa," Dekker replied. "However, I know it is thanks to Urumasa that I am the way I am today physically. He gave me strength and power… but it came at a price. Urumasa helped me; I needed to return the favour."

"By doing what?" Mia asked.

"Urumasa wanted blood," Dekker shrugged. "He is powerful, but he cannot wield himself. That is why he needed me."

Mia gulped. She knew she was starting to sweat. Her hands were shaky, her heart was pumping, the lump in her throat doubled in size. Her stomach was doing flips, making her feel like she was going to throw up, and her face started to burn.

She jumped up from her chair, racing off to the backyard.


	3. Happiness and Love

Mia felt she couldn't get back to Emily fast enough as she practically dove down into the cave and raced back to where she had left the flashlight. She picked up it and waved the light around until she found Emily, curled up against the wall of the cave. Emily winced when the light fell on her face. Mia set the flashlight back down, making sure to point it to the ceiling so Emily wouldn't be blinded. She walked over to the yellow Ranger and knelt down in front of her.

"Urumasa's telling you to kill Jayden… right?" she asked. Emily looked up at her surprised Mia had figured it out. The pink Ranger wrapped her arms around Emily, "Dekker's here. He told us Urumasa left him for a new Master. It makes sense, now."

"I don't want to kill Jayden," Emily whimpered. "Why did it pick me?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you," Mia said. "Dekker mentioned something about Urumasa wanting a favour to be returned. It did something for you, didn't it?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, "I don't know… I just grabbed it. Antonio was in the Octozord, Kevin was fighting off the Nighlok. If I didn't get it the Nighlok would and then Dayu would have it and… I didn't want it to be used to hurt Jayden or Serena."

"You're still scared Dekker's going to turn on her?"

"It's possible."

"Emy," Mia hugged her little sister, "did Urumasa say anything to you when you grabbed it? Did it make any promises or…"

"I think it said something about getting me, Kevin and Antonio to safety, I wasn't really paying attention. I just… I grabbed it and suddenly I could fight off the Nighlok and he started drying up. We weren't in danger anymore. Kevin and I could swim up… Octozord was already helping Antonio to the surface…"

"Now Urumasa wants you to kill Jayden?"

Emily nodded before burying her head in Mia's shoulder. "It keeps telling me I need to do as it says. I tell it I won't, but it doesn't stop. I pushed Mike… it made me do it… what if…?"

"Don't," Mia shook her head and pulled away from Emily. She held the yellow Ranger by the arms and looked her in the eyes, "It's going to be hard but if anyone can resist Urumasa's evil it's you. Remember; pillow fights are deadlier than you?"

Emily chuckled slightly, remembering her conversation on the beach with Mia. The pink Ranger hadn't been convinced that Emily could do evil. Not sweet, innocent Emily. If Urumasa thought it would be easy to manipulate the yellow Ranger, it was truly mistaken.

"We have to tell the others," Mia whispered to Emily. "They need to know. Jayden needs to be warned."

"Warned about what?"

Mia and Emily jumped when they heard Jayden's voice and they turned to the entrance of the cave. They were barely able to make out the shapes of five people walking towards them, but there was just enough light in the cave for them to see Jayden, Antonio, Kevin, Mike and Dekker. When Mike found Emily he rushed to her side to check up on her. Mia gave the couple some space and got to her feet. She looked at Emily one final time, "Urumasa chose her."

"What?" the boys, even Dekker, all gasped. Dekker took a careful step forward.

"How did this happen?" he asked Emily. The yellow Ranger shrank away from Dekker but Mike assured her he was okay.

"Does it matter?" Mia answered for Emily. "She's strong enough to resist, but obviously it's hurting her. Do you know anyway to stop it?"

"Your headaches," Mike breathed as he looked at Emily, "It wasn't because you were sick… it was… Emily, why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm sorry," Emily sobbed as she threw herself into Mike's arms.

Dekker watched sadly and shook his head. If he knew how to free someone from Urumasa's hold he would have done it to himself a long time ago.

"Unfortunately I don't think there is a way to separate Urumasa from its chosen Master."

"But it can't keep Emily," Antonio argued, "That's not right!"

"It isn't, I agree," Dekker said. "Only Urumasa can decide when to let go. However, I think I know how to calm the voices."

Urumasa's former Master knelt down before Emily. The yellow Ranger looked at him uncertainly. She wanted to trust that he was different, but this was still Dekker.

"When Urumasa spoke to me," Dekker started, "I thought of Serena. His voice would calm. Your sister makes me happy. Urumasa does not care for happiness or love."

"It's stronger?" Jayden asked. "When you were happy, Urumasa couldn't control you. It couldn't talk to you."

"I don't know how it works exactly," Dekker nodded, "but that was what I did for the past couple of months."

"It's worth a shot," Jayden shrugged. He smiled at Emily, "So just be yourself, Em."

"Easier said than done," Emily winced as Urumasa screamed inside her head. Mike kissed the side of her face to make her feel better and when Emily smiled, she noticed the voice starting to fade. She leaned into Mike happily.

When Dekker saw the smile he got back to his feet and turned to the Rangers, "I have done all I can," he told them. "I wish I could take Urumasa back, but you will agree it's best if the sword stays out of my hands."

"Yeah," Jayden nodded, "I trust Emily a lot more than you. Changed man or not."

"I wish you the best of luck," Dekker bowed slightly to the red Ranger and started making his way to the cave's exit. Just as he was about to leave he heard a small voice and turned around.

"Promise you'll take care of her?"

Dekker smiled at the yellow Ranger, "Of course."

He bowed one final time before climbing out of the tunnel.

When Dekker was gone, Kevin scratched his head and looked at his team.

"Wait… so until Urumasa decides to let go of Emily, we've got to keep her happy?"

"Sounds like it," Mike chuckled, kissing the top of Emily's head as she nestled deeper into his arms.

"So… instead of trying to slow her down and keep her calm, we've got to…" Kevin gulped, unable to finish that sentence.

"There's a difference between happy and hyper," Jayden laughed.

Kevin blinked repeated as he looked at his leader, "Jayden, when Emily's really happy she gets hyper."

Mia rolled her eyes at her worried fiancé and then turned to Emily with a smile, "Think maybe homemade cookies can calm Urumasa's voice. I made them myself."

"They're good," Mike promised.

Emily nodded her head and took Mia's hand as the pink Ranger helped her up and they all left the cave for a bite of Mia's cookies.


	4. Emily Loses It

"Antonio! Get off my girlfriend!"

"I really wish I could."

"You didn't shower after work, did you?"

"When Mike found Twister I kind of forgot… sorry, Mia."

The pink Ranger glared up at the fisherman and really wished her hands weren't on the green and blue spaces so she could hold her nose and block out the fish smell. All six Rangers were playing a game of Twister, with Mentor Ji spinning the wheel. Part of keeping Urumasa out of Emily's head was keeping her happy, and one way to keep her happy was keeping her entertained. The Rangers had been playing many games in their downtime and when Mike saw that they owned Twister, none of the Rangers could resist a game.

"I don't get why you guys are complaining," Mike chuckled, "This game kicks ass."

"You're only saying that because you're twisted with your girlfriend," Kevin muttered as he glared at Antonio. The gold Ranger was very close to Mia due to both their positions in the game and Kevin didn't like it at all.

"This is very crowded," Jayden commented. He was holding his head as far away from Antonio's butt as he possibly could. The gold Ranger looked back at his best friend and waved his butt around.

"That's what makes it even more challenging," he chuckled.

"Uh oh…" Emily's eyes went wide suddenly and Mike looked down at her.

"What?"

"Mentor, please hurry up…"

"Are you ready, Emily?" even Mentor was chuckling. The sight of his six Rangers crammed on a Twister mat was hilarious, even to him.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry…"

"Left foot…"

"Oof!"

"What happened?' Mike laughed after Emily slipped and landed flat on her back, making her the first player eliminated. Emily blinked and shook off the slight shock while looking back at Mike.

"My feet started slipping," very carefully Emily had to make her way off the mat without disturbing her friends' game. It was like trying to crawl through a jungle. After slipping under Mia, she was off the board and she took a seat on her stool to watch the rest of the game.

Jayden started to relax slightly. There was a little more room for him on the board. He could get a little more comfortable.

"Of course Emily would be the first out," Kevin chuckled, glancing quickly at the yellow Ranger. Emily stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

The game continued without Emily for a couple more rounds. To Kevin's relief, Mia and Antonio were pulled away from each other. Mia was now closer to Kevin and Antonio and Jayden were so intertwined they were basically one player.

"This isn't awkward," Antonio chuckled.

"You really shouldn't have forgotten to shower," Jayden wrinkled his nose. "You smell of week old fish!"

"Jayden, do you really think you have it bad?" Mike asked as Mentor told him to move his foot to the yellow circle. The move caused his head to inch closer to Mia and Kevin as they gave each other loving looks. "Stop with the looks, guys! It's freaking me out!"

Emily giggled as she watched the game. She was having fun watching her friends get twisted together into strange positions but she wished she hadn't of fallen so early in the game. As entertaining as it was to watch, Emily was starting to get a little restless. She drummed her fingers on the seat of her stool as Jayden moved his hand across the board to the red space.

"_Excuse yourself,"_ Emily's eyes widened suddenly as Urumasa's voice rang in her head. _"The red Ranger locked me away in a safe in his room. Tell your friends you need to use the restroom and come find me. Do it!"_

Emily swallowed hard and tried to ignore the voice by focusing on the game once again. Since her friends had figured out Urumasa had chosen her it had broken through a couple of times, but by focusing on her friends and doing something that made her happy she was always able to send it into the background.

"_I know what you're doing,"_ Urumasa was being a lot more difficult this time than normal. _"There's nothing you can hide from me."_

"Stop it…" Emily growled and clutched her head as it began to pound. Mike and Mia heard her muttering to herself and turned to see what was going on.

_I've been good to you up until now, but if you continue to resist I'm afraid I won't have a choice."_

"Shut up…"

Scared something was happening, Mia and Mike both dropped out of the game suddenly which caused the three remaining boys to give them funny looks.

"Oh, c'mon! It was just getting good!" Antonio called to the two of them. Mike and Mia ignored him and knelt down next to Emily's stool.

"Emy, are you okay?" Mia asked. She had been there once when Urumasa broke through and knew it helped to show Emily support. Reminding the yellow Ranger she had friends who loved her gave her the strength to fight back. "It's Urumasa, isn't it? Don't listen to him. You're better than it."

"_I only wanted the one, but by struggling you made me angry."_

Emily reached for her Samuraizer for no particular reason. She had no idea why she wanted it, but she was sure this was Urumasa's doing, and whatever he wanted her Samuraizer for, it couldn't be good.

Mike held Emily's face gently in his hands so he could look her in the eyes. He smiled at her.

"C'mon, Emily, just think of a happy thought. Smile, Em."

Before anyone could stop her, Emily held her Samuraizer out and traced a symbol in the air. Rock shards appeared from the symbol and shot out at the Rangers, tearing their skin but fortunately that was all the damage it managed to cause. Mike, Mia and the boys did jump back and move away from Emily, though.

Horrified at what she had done, Emily gave her friend and apologetic look before trying to run away, but the pain in her head grew and she stumbled to the ground. Mike was the first by her side, but again Emily felt herself losing control as she traced another symbol in the air and her Spin Sword appeared. She slashed at Mike, but he was lucky enough to jump just out of the sword's reach.

"Emily! Stop it!" Mike shouted.

Emily swung her sword again. This time, the only thing that saved Mike was Antonio's speed. He had morphed and managed to stop Emily's sword with his barracuda blades.

Emily blinked when she saw Antonio had stopped her from killing Mike, and for a quick second Antonio saw fear in her eyes. Knowing Emily was back, but unsure of how long she would remain in control, Antonio quickly disarmed the youngest Samurai and threw her sword across the room, far out of reach.

"Let her go, Urumasa," Antonio growled. Emily blinked again and lunged for the gold Ranger. Just before she reached him, though, a pair of arms grabbed her tightly. Emily struggled against whoever had snatched her until she felt herself hitting the floor and a weight on top of her.

"Don't hurt her, Kevin!" Mia shouted.

"It's Urumasa I want to hurt," Kevin growled. He held Emily forcefully to the ground, restricting her movements as much as possible so she couldn't get up and hurt him or anyone else, herself included. Finally, Emily stopped struggling and Kevin released his grip only a little bit. There was no telling what Urumasa was trying to do.

Mike was beside his girlfriend in an instant. He placed a hand on her back and lowered his head so he could look at her. He could hear her sobbing and knew that for now she had beaten Urumasa.

"Em, it's okay," he whispered softly.

"I'm…"

"Sorry, I know," Mike stopped her before she could say it. He had told her before that she didn't have to apologize all the time. Some things weren't her fault. He knew it wasn't Emily who attacked him or the other Rangers. It was Urumasa.

Mike looked at Kevin and motioned for the blue Ranger to get off Emily. Kevin obliged and rolled off the yellow Ranger, trusting she wouldn't attack anyone anymore. When Kevin was off, Mike looked back down at Emily, "Are you okay?"

Emily shook her head, "Make it stop."

"I will," he promised her and kissed the top of her head before glancing up at Jayden. "I'm not doing this anymore."

"What?"

"Urumasa's coming out, Jay," Mike said. "I don't care how. She can't keep doing this."

"Mike, I know…"

"Stop telling me you know!" Mike shouted. "Every time I try to help her, you always tell me you know what it's like to be in my position! It's always: 'Mike, I know you care about her, but…', or 'Mike, I know you love her, but…'! I'm tired of it!"

"Mike, calm down…"

"Shut up, Mia!" Mike snapped at the pink Ranger, though he never took his eyes off Jayden. He glared hatefully at his leader, "Just now, I almost got myself killed twice trying to save her. You sat there and watched, you coward!"

"Mike…"

"She's doing this because she doesn't want to kill you," Mike shouted. "It's you Urumasa's after! If you don't help me figure this out, I'll kill you myself with the fucking sword!"

"Michael, that's enough!" Mentor Ji scolded the green Ranger.

Mia placed her hand on the green Ranger's arm, "Mike, go for a walk."

"What?" Mike turned to Mia and glared, trying to intimidate her. It wouldn't work.

"I'll keep my eye on Emily. Go for a walk."

"No!"

"I'll come with you," Kevin said. He stood up and pulled Mike towards the door. "You need to cool down."

"No!" Mike tried to pull away but Kevin didn't let go. Instead he slammed his little brother into the wall.

"You're not helping her," he whispered. "You're angry and, to be honest, you're scaring the crap out of all of us. Emily doesn't need that. Positive, happy, loving, remember?"

Mike took a few calming breathes, "There, I'm fine."

"Some fresh air will do you good."

"No!"

"Mike," Kevin and Mike locked eyes for a moment, each giving the other a hard glare. Finally, Mike turned away and stormed into the hallway. He ripped Scruffy's leash from the hook on the wall and called the dog over.

Kevin turned back to the Rangers, "Figure this out," he demanded. Mia and Antonio nodded their heads as they began to lift an exhausted Emily off the floor and carried her back to her room.

When it was only Mentor and Jayden left Mentor turned to his son.

"Mike is angry, but he does have a point."

"Aren't you the one always telling me I have to be careful," Jayden scoffed. He glared at Mentor Ji, "Even Dekker doesn't know what to do. And even if we did, we have no idea who Urumasa will choose next! At least, I know if Emily does lose control I can beat her."

"Jayden!"

"What?" Jayden frowned. "It's the truth! She's good, Mentor, but everyone knows I'm better! I hate to say it, but…"

"This is not the Jayden I know," Mentor gave the red Ranger a very disappointed look. "The man I raised would have never…"

"I can beat her, Mentor," Jayden interrupted with a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes. Mentor didn't fail to catch this and looked at the red Ranger with curiosity.

"What are you saying?"

"Get her back to full strength," Jayden ordered the older man. "When she's ready, give her Urumasa."

"Jayden, are you crazy?" Mentor frowned. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"I can beat her, Mentor. You and I both know I can! And I've bested Urumasa twice when it was in Dekker's hands."

"Jayden…"

"Just trust me," Jayden smiled. He started making his way towards the dojo. "Just give me about an hour's warning before you do so I'm rested."


	5. Need To Fight

"Get back down!" Mia grunted as she forced the yellow to lie down in her bed. The ever-stubborn Emily wouldn't cooperate and insisted she needed to be alone.

"If you won't leave I will!"

"Emily, I will tie you down if I have to!"

"Fine, do it!" Emily shouted. "Then I can't hurt you."

"You won't," Mia offered her little sister a gentle smile as Antonio walked back into the room with a small plate of snacks for himself and the girls. He figured the best thing for Emily was keeping the atmosphere calm, and what could be more calming than a friendly little get-together with snacks?

"Em, we're not going to let you hurt us," Antonio promised her. "If you go crazy again we'll fight back. Just, before that happens, would you prefer a kick or punch to the head?"

Emily looked away from Antonio. She knew he was just trying to lighten the mood but she didn't feel much like laughing. Urumasa wasn't speaking to her right now, but her head hurt a lot which meant he was still near.

"Crackers and cheese?" Antonio offered Emily the plate of snacks. She shook her head.

"Where's Mike?"

"He went out for a walk," Mia answered. "After everything that happened he needed to clear his head."

"I almost killed him," Emily sighed. "He's mad at me, isn't he?"

"He's mad at Urumasa."

Emily looked at her hands as she played with them nervously. "I'm sorry," she whispered so softly Mia and Antonio barely heard her. The pink and gold Rangers exchanged a quick, confused look before turning back to their little sister.

"For what?"

"I should have just killed Jayden."

"Emily!"

"Now Urumasa's going to kill you all too," Emily leaned back into her pillow. She looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep her tears from falling. "He said I struggled too much. I made him angry. That's why he attacked Mike. At least if it was just Jayden you guys would be safe. Now you're all in danger and it's all my fault."

"For crying out loud," Mia groaned and rolled her eyes before pointing a hard, serious look at Emily, "Smarten up, Emy. You sound pathetic."

"Mia," Antonio frowned, "Be nice."

"No," Mia shook her head, "She needs to hear this."

She grabbed her little sister by the arms and shook her, "Snap out of this pity party, Emy. You're an uncoordinated, accident-prone, trouble-waiting-to-happen, struggling-to-get-by Samurai, but you've got a heart of gold. The _only_ reason Jayden and all of us are still alive right now is because Urumasa picked the wrong Ranger to mess with. If he had chosen anyone else, we'd be six-feet under guaranteed and the earth would be flooded. If anyone's struggling here, it's Urumasa. So cut the crap and get some rest before I throw Urumasa and you back into that stupid ocean and watch you both drown!"

Mia finished her speech and glared angrily at Emily one final time, hoping her words would sink in. Emily looked like a deer caught in the headlights, while Antonio was unsure of what to do. He wanted to yell at Mia for yelling at Emily, but he also found himself agreeing with her.

He held out his tray of snacks again and broke the silence, "Crackers and cheese?"

Emily didn't answer Antonio. Instead she launched herself forward into Mia's arms. Mia smiled and hugged Emily warmly.

-Samurai-

Mike kicked a can forward and listened to it ring as he walked through the alleys. Kevin and Scruffy weren't far behind and they both made sure to keep their distance and give Mike the time and space he needed to clear his head. It was obvious from his choice of path that Mike didn't want to be with people.

When Mike was close enough to the can he kicked it again. It didn't go as far as last time. It came to a sudden stop when it hit a chain-linked fence. Mike looked up at it, realising his path had come to an end.

"Stupid fence," Mike grabbed the fence and tried to shake it, as if that would break it and he could continue his walk. Kevin watched and sighed loudly. He leaned against the wall.

"Can I say something?" he asked, testing the waters before he drowned. Mike stopped rattling the fence and turned to the blue Ranger.

"What?"

"If it were Mia and Urumasa, I would do the exact same thing. Although, instead of trying to choke a fence, it would probably Jayden's neck between my hands."

"So you agree with me?"

"Helping Emily? Who doesn't agree with that?"

"He's enjoying this, isn't he?" Mike leaned against the fence. "Jayden, I mean. Is it fun for him to watch us beat ourselves up for him? I mean, when Urumasa tried to kill me, he was basically standing there with a bowl of popcorn in his hands!"

"You know Jayden's just as upset as the rest of us," Kevin said. "If there's anyone who wants to get this sorted more than you, it's him. You were right back there, and he knows it."

"Then why is he acting like Emily's cursed to be the next Dekker? Why is he treating this like there's no way out. Surely there's a way."

"Maybe there isn't," Kevin shrugged. "Urumasa held onto Dekker for centuries. Little Emily…"

"Don't say that," Mike snapped, though his voice was hushed. "When you say it like that you make her sound weak. She's not weak. She's had Urumasa inside her head since we retrieved it and she's still fighting it."

"I didn't mean it like that," Kevin said. He let out another sigh, "I was just saying…"

"Don't just say. I don't want theories, I don't want excuses. I want results. I want Urumasa out of her head and as far away from her as possible! I don't give a damn what that means. To be honest, Urumasa could pick you or me as its new Master. Anyone but Emily."

"If Emily and Urumasa make a dangerous combination, I would hate to see the sword in your hands," Kevin chuckled. "You don't have to be under a spell or controlled by a stupid sword to go rogue."

"Shut up."

Kevin stood up straight and walked towards Mike. He placed his hands on his little brother's shoulders.

"Look, Mike. You're right, we need to do something, but until we figure it out we need to stay calm. If we create an angry, hostile environment at home we'll just be giving Urumasa more power and Emily will be more likely to give up."

"Now who's right," Mike smirked. Kevin chuckled.

"C'mon," the blue Ranger wrapped his arm around Mike's shoulders, "How about we finish this walk and pick up a little something on the way home to lighten the mood?"

"Or, you could pick something up right here."

Kevin noticed a smirk on Mike's face and the green Ranger was pointing to something on the ground. When Kevin looked down he saw Scruffy had left him a nice little present. He rolled his eyes and pulled out the plastic bag from his pocket.

"This isn't even my dog…"

-Samurai-

Mentor tapped on the door to the dojo before opening it. Jayden had locked himself in hours ago and the last thing Mentor wanted was his nose sliced off accidentally because Jayden's didn't hear him coming. When he walked into the room and Jayden saw him, the red Ranger lowered his sword and smiled.

"Almost time?"

"I thought I would give you enough warning so you could get a decent sleep," Mentor said. "Emily will find Urumasa in her hand come morning. You'll need to be ready then."

"Good idea," Jayden set his training sword down and grabbed his bottle of water. Mentor saw the sweat dripping down his face and the row of beat up dummies lying on the floor.

"I see you're not underestimating your opponent."

Jayden shook his head and swallowed his water, "Of course not. I can beat Emily, I know I can, but she's still a strong Samurai in her own right. Besides, I don't want to kill her. I need to figure out the best way to defeat her without causing too much damage."

"I see you haven't quite figured that out yet," Mentor gestured to broken dummies. Jayden chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, uh, hopefully Emily can take a hit."

"Are you going to let the others in on your plan?"

Jayden shook his head, "I need this to be real for Emily. This has to be a real duel. If she finds out what we're doing Urumasa's going to catch on. He'll never let her go then."

Mentor placed his hand on Jayden's shoulder, "Be careful how you go about this, Jayden. No matter how the duel ends, someone will get hurt."

"I'll be careful, Mentor. Very careful. If everything goes right, we'll be back to normal by tomorrow night."

Mentor nodded and left Jayden on his own for the rest of the night so the red Ranger could rest. Once out of the dojo, he decided to check up on Emily and the other Rangers. They were all sleeping in Emily and Mike's room to show Emily they supported her and they would stand by her side no matter what. When Mentor walked into the room he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Mike and Emily were sleeping in Emily's bed and the other three Rangers were curled up on the floor with nothing more than a thin blanket and a pillow for comfort. Meanwhile, Mike's bed was completely empty.

"When he leaves I may have to burn the bed," Mentor chuckled to himself. He tip-toed around the Rangers and made a note of where they slept so later he could return and put Urumasa in Emily's hand without waking anyone up. Finally, he reached Emily's bed and sighed. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully, but Mentor was never sure anymore. Urumasa could be haunting her right at this very moment.

He turned to her night table and smiled at the sunflowers. When Mike and Kevin returned from their walk, Mike had given the flowers to Emily to cheer her up. Urumasa was at his weakest when Emily was happy, so the flowers not only showed Emily that Mike wasn't mad at her for trying to kill him, but they also suppressed Urumasa's voice. As Mentor gently touched one of the petals he heard movement from the bed. He looked down and then took a seat as Emily started to wake.

"Mentor?" she frowned, rubbing her eyes before sitting up, "What are you doing in here?"

"Just checking up on you and the others. How are you?"

"Tired," Emily smiled slightly.

"And Urumasa?"

"I think he's given up for now. He'll be back, though. He always comes back."

"We're working on that, Emily," Mentor assured her. "Hopefully soon he'll be out of your head for good."

"Better mine than some psycho's," Emily shrugged her shoulder. "At least I won't kill anyone… well…"

"I have faith you will not let your team down," Mentor nodded. He looked at Mike sleeping on the other half of the bed and then down at the other Rangers, "They've been taking care of you?"

Emily smiled, "I couldn't do this without them. I know they all think I'm some determined little fighter but truth be told, I would have given up long ago if it weren't for them. I'll never forget how they helped me."

Mentor reached out and wrapped his arms around Emily. He heard her yawn in his ear as they hugged and he chuckled and set her back down into her bed.

"Rest up. You'll need your energy for tomorrow."

"Don't I know it? Urumasa's not going to give up without a fight."


	6. Breaking the Curse

Jayden was up early the following morning. He had eaten breakfast and was outside warming up for his duel with Emily. He hated having to fight her, but if everything went according to plan this would be the best thing for her.

This was a risky plan whether it worked or not. He realised he could shake up his relationship with Emily, but as long as she was safe and sound he would put up with whatever grief she and the others gave him.

He wanted to show Urumasa that Emily was worthless, at least for the task it was asking her to do. If Emily couldn't beat Jayden in a fight to the death, there was no reason Urumasa should hold onto her, and Jayden hoped it would let her go of his own accord. It was the only thing Jayden knew he could do and he was willing to try.

Suddenly the doors flew open and all the other Rangers stormed outside. Emily was holding Urumasa in her hands as she glared at Jayden.

"This was your idea!" she screamed. Mentor Ji walked out behind her, looking guilty. He must have told her a little more than Jayden wanted him to, but Jayden was good at improvising. Always be prepared; his father taught him that.

"Yeah, Em, it was my idea," Jayden nodded his head, ignoring the death stares the others were giving him. "I don't know if you heard Mike yesterday, but he's right. This can't continue. One of us has to end it."

"But Urumasa is going to slice your head off!" Emily shouted. "Trust me; it's already thinking of all the different ways it can do it! I've had to remind it you've only got one head."

"One head, but no brain," Kevin scoffed. "Jayden, we can't afford to lose a Ranger!"

"We don't have a choice," Jayden shook his head and morphed. "If we don't act now, Urumasa's either going to kill me or Emily. We may as well end this now, before Master Xandred decides to attack."

"But Urumasa will kill you! I won't fight!" Emily crossed her arms and stood bravely, but Jayden could see her wincing in pain as she tried to resist Urumasa.

"Or you might kill her!" Mike pointed out. "Jay, have you thought this through?"

"If she dies we have a back-up yellow," Jayden shrugged.

"What if you die?" Mia asked. "I don't see another Shiba walking around."

"You'll just have to trust me," Jayden said. He turned to Emily and stared at her through his helmet. "C'mon, Em, give it all you've got. You know it's either you or me."

"I'd rather it be me," Emily grumbled. She tried to throw Urumasa away but felt her head throbbing in pain before she could let go.

"_You will fight!"_

"Make me," she muttered. Instantly she was morphed. She glared at the sword in her hands, "You're stubborn."

"_I can make you turn on your friends in a moment. Ever wonder why Dekker walked the Earth alone for centuries? I know exactly which one to kill first."_

Emily was hit by a memory of herself and Mike cuddling in the grass at the park on one of their dates. She wrapped her hands tightly around Urumasa.

"You really suck…"

"C'mon, Em," Jayden raised his sword so he was ready for the fight. "You know what you have to do. I won't think any less of you."

Mike gulped, "Kick his ass, Em."

"Urumasa's going to kill you," Emily told Jayden once again.

"Urumasa wants to kill me," Jayden replied. "The thing is: I don't think you can."

Emily glared at Jayden from behind her helmet and the next thing she knew she was fighting him. They were even for what felt like a long time, matched in strength, until suddenly Emily felt a burst of energy coursing through her and she saw Jayden fly through the air and hit the wall of the Shiba House. The Rangers were all wide-eyed in shock, and Jayden grunted painfully as he slid down the side of the house and hit the ground.

"Okay… didn't see that coming," he clutched his ribs as he pulled himself to his feet painfully. He picked up his sword from the ground.

"I told you!" Emily shouted. "Urumasa will kill you! I can't stop it! Run away!"

"_Don't tell him to run, you fool!"_

Emily clutched her head in pain and dropped to her knees as Urumasa screamed at her. Jayden smirked, seeing an opening. He raced forward and struck Emily hard in the chest, knocking her down.

"Dude, that's not fair!" Mike shouted and lunged forward, but Antonio and Kevin caught his arms. They too wanted to interfere but they knew they couldn't. "She was down, Jayden! You're fighting dirty."

"I'm fighting for my life," Jayden reminded his friends. "There are no rules."

The red Ranger looked back down at Emily, quickly trying to figure out the best way to get Urumasa out of her hands so he could finish her, but Urumasa was one step ahead of him. From the ground, Emily swung the sharp blade, taking Jayden's legs out from under him and inflicting a painful wound on his right calf. Had it not been for the Ranger suit, Jayden was sure he would have lost part of his leg.

"Dammit! That hurt," he cried, inspecting his leg. In the corner of his eye he saw Emily rushing for him again and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a lethal stab to the chest.

"Stop it," he heard Emily mutter to Urumasa and he could see her starting to struggle again. He knew she didn't want to kill him. This was all Urumasa's doing, even if she was the one swinging the sword. He smirked to himself. He could work with this.

"She's going to resist," he said while trying to push himself up, but he found he couldn't put any weight on his right foot. He fell back down to the ground again and realised he was vulnerable if Urumasa chose to attack. If it did, he knew he would have to do what he could to take Emily out to spare his own life, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. He didn't want to hurt her.

"Shut up!" Emily shouted. Jayden wasn't sure if she was talking to him or Urumasa so he just continued.

"She'll resist. She doesn't want to kill me. Nothing you say or do will change that, and the more you try the weaker you make her. She can't defeat me at full strength, what makes you think she can win now?"

Emily growled and Jayden had to act fast. He held his sword up just in time to keep hers from slicing his head in half. With his good leg, he kicked up, hitting Emily right in the stomach. She doubled over in pain and Jayden jumped on top of her. As long as he didn't have to put weight on his injured leg he knew he could hold her off.

He pressed his arm against her neck while his other hand reached out and ripped Urumasa from her grasp. He tossed it away from her; so far out of her reach there was no way she could get it back. He pulled his arm from her neck, replacing it with his sword.

"Is this really worth the effort, Urumasa?" he asked and he saw Emily powering down. "You'll spend eternity with the one person on the planet who'll forever resist you. You may as well begin your search for a new master."

"Let me go!" Emily struggled but when she felt Jayden's sword graze her neck slightly she stopped. He pulled it away just a little so he wouldn't accidentally kill her.

"Sorry, Em, not until I know it's really you," Jayden answered and he pulled off his helmet so Emily could see his face. He looked her in the eyes, "Promise me, no matter what happens, you won't let yourself or Urumasa harm anyone. Not your friends, your family, or some guy on the street."

"I can't stop it," Emily looked up at Jayden with tear-filled eyes. He shook his head.

"One last chance, Urumasa," he said. "I have her right where I want her. One slice and you'll be searching for a new Master either way."

"Then he has nothing to lose!" Emily shrieked. "Jayden, stop, please!"

"_Coward! Fight back!"_

"No!"

"_Fight back or he'll end your life!"_

"I don't care! I won't fight!" Emily face twisted in agony as she cried loudly before her eyes shut and she went limp. Jayden turned his head, as did the other Rangers, and they looked at Urumasa at it glowed. Jayden smiled and pulled his hands and his sword away from Emily. He sat up and rolled off of her.

"Atta girl," he smiled.

Mia and Mike rushed over to Emily when they realised it was safe to approach her and Jayden. Antonio hurried to his best friend's side to check up on Jayden's leg before the red Ranger bled to death.

Kevin stared at Urumasa, wondering what would happen next. Suddenly, Mike looked up.

"Did you guys hear that?" he asked. Everyone nodded but Jayden.

"Urumasa's calling," Mia whispered. "It's trying to get one of us."

"Don't touch it," Jayden said. He pulled away from Antonio and crawled over to Urumasa. He grabbed the sword. It wanted him dead so he knew it wasn't about to claim him as its new Master. "I'll lock it away, before it can hurt anyone else. Just ignore his calls, guys, and you'll be fine."

"Easier said than done," Mike muttered, lifting his unconscious girlfriend. "I kind of agree about the whole killing you thing right now. Especially after that little display with Emily."

"It was for the best," Jayden answered and he felt himself being lifted by Antonio. He held the blade away from his best friend as Antonio helped him into the house so he could lock Urumasa away and then get his leg checked out by Mentor.

"The sword's very annoying, I can tell you that," Antonio nodded his head. He glared at the blade, "Shut up, Diablo. Nadie está escuchando."

"What he said," Kevin laughed. "Whatever it means…"

-Samurai-

When Emily finally came to she was in her room, her boyfriend sleeping by her side, his arms wrapped around her protectively. For the first time in what felt like ages she noticed she woke up to silence; total silence. She smiled and snuggled in closer to Mike. Her slight movements pulled his from his light sleep and he opened her eyes to see her smiling. Relief washed over him and he kissed her forehead.

"Hey, sleepy-head. How'd you sleep?"

"All things considered, best rest of my life," Emily smiled. "I can't hear Urumasa's voice anymore."

"He's gone," Mike nodded. "Gone for good. You'll never have to worry about him again."

"What about Jayden?" Emily asked, gasping suddenly as she remembered her duel with her leader. "Oh, no! His leg!"

"He's fine," Mike assured his girlfriend. "Before I came in here Mentor told me it was nothing to worry about. He'll be limping around for a little while, but you know Jayden."

"Yeah, I…" Emily trailed off and lowered her head as more details from the fight came to mind. Mike saw her look sadden and kissed her to cheer her up.

"Look, forget what happened. It means nothing. Jayden…"

"Knew he could beat me."

"He could beat any of us," Mike smiled. "Mentor told us Jayden's plan. It was smart thinking on his part."

"Urumasa didn't want me because I'm no good…"

"Emily," Mike sat up in the bed and glared at his girlfriend, "That's not the reason Urumasa didn't want you. You're not the best fighter, neither am I, but you resisted Urumasa for days. You never gave up, even with your back against the wall. You were too good for Urumasa. Literally. In the end, that's how you won. Your heart of gold."

"Heart of yellow," Emily giggled. "Gold is for Antonio."

"Heart of yellow," Mike smirked, "whatever you want to call it. Urumasa couldn't break that."

Mike leaned down and kissed Emily again, so relieved to see she was back to her regular, unpossessed self. When they broke apart for a quick moment he smiled and looked lovingly into her eyes.

"Rearrange the letters in heart."

Emily pulled back and frowned, "Huh?"

"Just do it," Mike chuckled, sitting back so Emily could figure it out. "I'll give you a clue. You don't have to do much."

Emily pouted, "Michael, my brain's only just been freed from a crazy enchanted sword invasion. I'm in no state to think."

"I'll give you another clue, then," Mike laughed. "The new word starts with an 'E'."

Emily continued to pout and glared at her boyfriend, "Just tell me!"

"Figure it out," Mike smiled. Emily shook her head and poked Mike in the chest.

"Tell me."

"Ow!" Mike tickled her sides, "That hurt, earth girl."

"Tell me!" Emily said between giggled.

"I just did."

"Hurt?"

"Since when does hurt start with an 'E'?" Mike tickled her again for the stupid answer. "Besides, there's no 'U' in heart. Try again; put a little thought into it."

"I don't want to think," Emily grabbed Mike's wrists and held them back so he couldn't tickle her anymore. She laughed as she wrestled him down onto the bed. She leaned over him, and pinned his arms to the mattress. "Tell me."

"No."

"Then you're not getting up."

"Not a problem," Mike smirked. "I could stay like this all day."

Emily glared playfully at her boyfriend and moved away from him. She crawled to the other side of the bed, sitting as far away as possible.

"You're no fun."

Mike joined her in her little corner and wrapped his arms around her, "I love you."

"I'm mad at you."

He kissed her cheek and chuckled, "You'll figure it out."


	7. Balanced Team

Jayden had never been one to take a vacation, but Mentor Ji insisted he spend a couple of days off his feet if possible so his leg could recover. He was lying in bed, but he was still hard at work. He had a lap-desk, piles of paper, and a brush and ink. While laid up, he figured he would work on his sealing symbol. He hadn't been able to work on it in a while and knew he had a lot of catching up to do.

Suddenly there was a knock on his door. Assuming it was just Antonio coming in to get changed after training he didn't say anything. The door opened and Jayden looked up to smile at Antonio but he saw it wasn't the gold Ranger.

"Hey, Em," he still smiled. "Enjoying the peace and quiet."

"I share a room with Mike, so no," Emily forced a chuckle, but Jayden could tell her mind was elsewhere. He followed her gaze and saw she was staring at his leg. He sighed and put his lap desk aside.

"Sit down," he patted the mattress, inviting Emily to sit next to him on the bed. She walked over nervously and took a seat.

"I'm really sorry…"

"For what?" Jayden asked. He looked to his leg, "Urumasa did that."

"But I…"

"Emily, it was Urumasa. Everything was Urumasa."

Emily lowered her head as Jayden said that. He saw her playing nervously with her hands and let out another sigh. He took her hand.

"Alright, kid, I'll let you talk."

"I didn't want to kill you… but… Urumasa wouldn't stop and… I never would have gone through with it, Jay! I promise, but I did… I mean… I just wanted it to shut up…"

"What?"

"It was you or everyone else," Emily shrugged. "Urumasa threatened to kill everyone else if I didn't kill you. I couldn't… I'm really sorry!"

Emily threw herself into Jayden's arms and cried. Jayden was a little shocked at first but he suddenly started to laugh, confusing Emily. She pulled away and looked up at him, a little angry, hurt, and curious.

"It's not funny."

"I'm glad you could resist, Em, but if you had killed me, it would have been your best possible move. If someone has to die, better one than four, right?"

"That's what I figured."

"Look, you did the right thing, Em. I'm not mad at you, I promise. There's no need for you to apologize and no reason for me to have to forgive you, but if it helps to hear it; you're forgiven."

"Thanks, Jay," Emily smiled and wiped away her tears. She looked back down at his injured leg, "Does it hurt?"

"Like a bitch," Jayden nodded. "But I would take this over the pain of losing a teammate any day. You had us all scared for a little while. I think even Dekker was scared for you when he found out."

"I tend to do that," Emily smirked.

"You know, I'll be honest, I thought our duel would be a little easier than that. You're a tough cookie. Tougher than one of Mia's cookies before the truth slipped out."

"It was Urumasa," Emily lowered her head, "It was the one with all the power."

"It seemed pretty weak and pathetic to me."

"I know about your plan, Jayden," Emily pulled away further from her leader. "I know you knew you could beat me."

"I could beat Kevin. What are you trying to say, Em?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders. Mike had already talked to her about this, but it was different addressing the issue with Jayden. The red Ranger let out a deep breath and smiled at his youngest Samurai.

"Look, Em, one thing you need to know about a team is that it needs to be balanced. We can't all be the strongest Samurai."

"But we need to be good…"

"And you are good," Jayden assured her. "You, Mike, Mia, Antonio, Kevin… I would trust you all with my life and I have! But where you all lack in strength, compared to me and maybe Kevin, you make up for elsewhere."

"Where?"

"Well, think of what this team would be like without Kevin," Jayden smiled. "Pretend he quit a long time ago. What would have happened?"

"Mike would have a lot more lazy days," Emily shrugged and giggled slightly. "Mia would probably be overwhelmed. Antonio would have had a smoother transition into the team."

"Maybe," Jayden chuckled. "Now, imagine if Antonio never joined."

"We wouldn't have a chance at unlocking the Black box. Octozord would still be missing. The Clawzord wouldn't be working… Splitface would have killed me. We wouldn't have amazing Fish Fridays."

"He's pretty good on the grill," Jayden nodded. "Now Mia. What if Mia decided to run off and never come back."

"I would have had a room all to myself."

"Emily," Jayden laughed.

Emily smiled, "Uh… Kevin would have lost it and killed Mike a really long time ago. Dekker and Serena wouldn't be together and we would probably all be dead. I would have to put up with all you boys…"

"And Mike. What if Mike quit?"

"I would quit too."

"Em."

"I probably would have given up on myself a long time ago if it weren't for Mike. Kevin would be twice as serious and disciplined as he is now. Mentor wouldn't have realised everyone needs to be taught differently…"

"So you see what I'm trying to get at, Em?" Jayden asked. Emily smiled and nodded her head.

"We're all different, right? We bring something different to the team?"

"Exactly. I know I can beat you. That doesn't mean you're not a good Ranger, or a valuable member of the team. We all need each other."

"Okay," Emily nodded. She looked back at Jayden's leg, "Do you still want me to offer to get you something for your leg?"

"I'm fine, Em, thanks," Jayden grinned. "Now if you don't mind, I have a lot of time on my hands and I intend on taking advantage of that."

He pointed to his lap desk and Emily saw the sealing symbol had been traced over and over again on several sheets of paper. Emily nodded and left Jayden to work in peace. However, she was stopped as she reached the door.

"Earth…"

"What?" Jayden glanced up at her when he heard her mutter something. Emily smiled at her leader.

"Nothing… just a game Mike and I were playing. Rearrange the letters in heart."

"I have to study," Jayden pointed to his desk and chuckled, "You have fun with your game."


End file.
